Thomas Sophonow

{{Short description|Canadian wrongfully accused of murder}}

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{{BLP sources|date=November 2019}}

{{notability|Bio|date=November 2019}}

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Thomas Sophonow (born March 1953{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/publications/sophonow/compensation/tsbackground.html|title=Thomas Sophonow's background|publisher=Government of Manitoba|accessdate=2011-09-02}}) is a Canadian who was wrongfully convicted of murder and whose case was the subject of a major judicial inquiry. Sophonow was tried three times in the 1981 murder of doughnut-shop clerk Barbara Stoppel. Sophonow spent four years imprisoned. In 1985, he was acquitted by the Manitoba Court of Appeal.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-s-wrongful-convictions-1.783998 Canada's wrongful convictions - Cases where the courts got it wrong] Retrieved April 21, 2011. A commission of inquiry was called by the province of Manitoba which led to the 2001 release of the Thomas Sophonow Inquiry Report.[http://forejustice.org/db/Sophonow--Thomas.html Wrongly Convicted Database Record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531012137/http://forejustice.org/db/Sophonow--Thomas.html |date=2011-05-31 }} Retrieved April 21, 2011.[https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2000/06/2000-06-08-02.html Province Calls Commission of Inquiry into Thomas Sophonow Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111235/http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2000/06/2000-06-08-02.html |date=2016-03-04 }} Retrieved April 21, 2011.[https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2001/11/2001-11-05-05.html Sophonow Inquiry Report Released] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023022753/http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2001/11/2001-11-05-05.html |date=2016-10-23 }} Retrieved April 21, 2011. This inquiry was led by former Supreme Court justice Peter Cory. As a result of this report, Manitoba revised its policy of using prisoners in-custody as informants. This policy is located at Appendix F of the report.[https://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/publications/sophonow/index.html? Thomas Sophonow Inquiry Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706020417/http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/publications/sophonow/index.html |date=2013-07-06 }} Retrieved April 21, 2011. The inquiry also made 43 recommendations of which 11 related to the Province of Manitoba.